Future Furniture

Students, designers, and architects, 125 in total, answered the call for our sixth annual furniture competition. Think of the 17 winners' submissions, selected by the Interior Design editorial team, as a window on tomorrow's ideas—today

edited by Karen D. Singh -- Interior Design, 10/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Pleat Design

Product Araneae table.

Material Plywood.

Design "Demonstrating that elegant furniture can be constructed from common materials, this table was made from a single plywood sheet. The organic form relies on integral curves in the separate pieces that are cut and attached."

7024 Bramble Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45227; 513-373-8527; pleatdesign.com.

Zalabatta/Ryann Aoukar & Damien Robache

Product Lucy chair.

Materials Polycarbonate and stainless steel.

Design "Chairs are mostly static, but this one 'interacts' with the sitter—the side panels open to reveal a small storage space for, say, a remote control."

321 East 83rd Street, 4A, New York, NY 10028; 646-648-3584; zalabatta.com.

K2 Design

Products Mistral chair, Nippon Giraffe chair.

Material Bentwood.

Design "Mistral was inspired by a sail in the wind—a shape I associate with the adventure of the open sea. Nippon Giraffe was influenced not only by the animal but also by a Japanese aesthetic."

267 Väg Axel Danielssons, 215 82 Malmö, Sweden; 46-4-037-84-21; k2design.se.

Designerds

Product Duet table.

Materials Concrete and bamboo-veneered bent plywood.

Design "Two identical shapes—each made from a different material, using different methods of construction—can exist as a pair. Two equal parts form one new whole."

2000 North Lincoln Park West, 703, Chicago, IL 60614; 330-612-4373; thedesignerds.com.

Treluce

Product PEK personal emergency kit.

Material Laminated acrylic.

Design "We access information and connect to people at an incredibly rapid rate, and PEK is a physical representation of that. It packs as much as possible into a single object."

treluce.com.

Julien Egger

Product Bunny chair.

Material Bent plywood.

Design "This stacking chair has its roots in mid-century modern—with a playful bunny-ear twist. The seat and the backrest can flex, while the legs remain rigid."

1252 26th Street, B, Santa Monica, CA 90404; 310-264-0365.

Fleetwood Fixtures

Products Sling chair, Timber stool.

Materials Powder-coated steel, felt, and stainless-steel fasteners; gel-coated fiberglass.

Design "The soft, luxurious feel of industrial wool felt provided the impetus for Sling. The form of Timber was inspired by a Japanese 19th-century hibachi, cut from a natural tree stump and hand-waxed."

848 West Eastman Street, Suite 206, Chicago, IL 60622; 312-640-1606; fleetwoodfixtures.com.

Laurinda Spear Products

Products Nido chair, ottoman.

Material Molded polymer.

Design "Nido means nest in Spanish. The two components of this indoor-outdoor set, positioned together, seem to embrace the sitter."

801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1100, Miami, FL 33131; 305-372-1812; laurindaspearproducts.com.

Jeong Ju Lee

Product Arbor chair.

Materials Copper and copper wire.

Design "This chair sprang from images of ocean waves. It's also part of the dialogue between furniture and art."

2011 East Henrietta Road, Apartment 10, Rochester, NY 14623; 585-359-4577.

Tzu-Hung Ho

Product Scoop chair.

Materials Polished aluminum, polyurethane, and foam.

Design "I'm intrigued by the idea of creating a form from a single sheet of material. Here, it's the shell, which drops in back to allow for storage."

1130 South Michigan Avenue, Apartment 3412, Chicago, IL 60605; redboxho@hotmail.com.

Igloo Design Group

Product Suspended Beleaf pendant fixture.

Material Stainless-steel wire.

Design "With the interaction between the wire and the controlled incandescent or halogen light, shadows can, at times, blur the line between what is real and what is projected."

185 Varick Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10014; 212-620-0972; igloodesigngroup.com.

Michael Kerschbaumer Design

Product Lyaeus chair.

Materials Plywood and stainless steel.

Design "Subtle movements from the spring base transform the slatted cocoon into a place of active relaxation. Occupants feel like they've escaped."

324 East 82nd Street, Studio GB, New York, NY 10028; 646-330-1652.

Yoko T. Supernavage

Product Collapsible chair.

Materials Baltic birch plywood and polypropylene.

Design "This lightweight, portable design saves space and can easily be assembled and disassembled."

yokodesignstudio.com.

ArchLab Studio

Product Dynamic screen.

Materials Stainless steel, bent steel, and spandex.

Design "Interactive and adjustable, this membrane filters space in different ways without sacrificing continuity."

1 Union Square West, 506, New York, NY 10003; 212-647-1399; archlabstudio.com.

Handel Architects

Product Namba seating.

Materials Brushed tubular steel and wool.

Design "Remember playing with Legos? This seating series gangs via magnets to accommodate all manner of home activities."

150 Varick Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10013; 212-595-4112; getdepac.com.

Flying Leap Furniture

Product Apogee table.

Materials Tubular steel, MDF, and automotive paint.

Design "I noticed that office workers are drawn to lounge chairs for meetings—but then they're stuck balancing a laptop on their knees or hunching forward to work on a low table. Apogee's work surface comes forward when needed and pushes away when not."

43 Spirea Drive, Dayton, OH 45419; 937-293-5803; flyingleapfurniture.com.

Materious

Product Cubby coat hook and storage.

Material Cast urethane.

Design "Addressing the space limitations of urban living, Cubby is a coat hook that moves beyond conventional form. Rather than a linear element, like a nail, it's a volume that holds keys and the like."

1322 South Wabash Avenue, 305, Chicago, IL 60605; 312-212-2254; materious.com.